Proud Boys member called 'Spaz' says Trump is to blame for Capitol riot and claims he only took part because he was 'misled by the president's deception' as he's held pending trial for civil disorder
Daily Mail
February 11, 2021
A member of the far-right group Proud Boys blamed Donald Trump for his participation in the deadly riot at the US Capitol, saying he was led astray by the outgoing president, who is currently facing an impeachment trial for allegedly inciting insurrection.
An attorney for Dominic Pezzola, also known as 'Spaz,' filed court documents on Wednesday seeking the 43-year-old's release from jail pending trial, but a federal judge ordered him to be detained after prosecutors argued that the retired US Marine was a danger to the community and a flight risk.
Prosecutors accused Pezzola in court of knocking over barriers outside the US Capitol, grabbing a riot shield from a police officer and using it to smash a window at the building, allowing rioters to stream inside the building.
He was then captured on video lighting a cigar for a 'victory smoke' inside the Capitol building.
Pezzola has been arraigned on 11 charges, including conspiracy, civil disorder, unlawfully entering restricted buildings, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding a United Stated Capitol police officer.
Pezzola's lawyer Jonathan Zucker, in a 15-page court filing earlier on Wednesday, echoed arguments that US House Democrats have made repeatedly this week during Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate, telling the judge his client was duped by Trump's lies that the election had been stolen and acted on 'delusional belief that he was a "patriot" protecting his country,' reported Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.
Pezzola, who he claimed has 'minimal' involvement with the Proud Boys, 'was one of millions of Americans who were misled by the President's deception,' Zucker wrote, noting there was 'no rational basis for such a claim.'
He added that his client, who is a retired US Marine, 'was responding to the entreaties of the then commander in chief, President Trump. The President maintained that the election had been stolen and it was the duty of loyal citizens to "stop the steal."'
The lawyer further argued that Pezzola did not act out of criminal intent, but rather out of 'a frighteningly confused and distorted sense of conscience.'
Zucker added in a footnote, referring to Trump: 'many of those who heeded his call will be spending substantial portions if not the remainder of their lives in prison as a consequence. Meanwhile Donald Trump resumes his life of luxury and privilege.'
Trump was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives for the second time in his one-term presidency a week after the Capitol riots on a charge of inciting an insurrection. His impeachment trial in the US Senate is entering Day 3 on Thursday.
Pezzola and another alleged Proud Boy, William Pepe, 31, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them on Tuesday, after prosecutors said they have evidence to suggest the pair conspired to impede police from defending the US Capitol.
Pezzola was mentioned by name during Day 2 of Trump's Senate trial on Wednesday, as impeachment managers for the House of Representatives offered a detailed account of the attack on the Capitol.
'You can see Pezzola in the mob, chase Capitol officer Eugene Goodman through the building,' said Representative Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat from the Virgin Islands, reported Bloomberg.
Goodman has been hailed as a hero for leading the rioters away from the US Senate chamber and directing Senator Mitt Romney to safety.
Prosecutors say the FBI uncovered a thumb drive belonging to Pezzola that contained instructions on how to make bombs.
Among the trove of instruction manuals were titles including: 'Advanced Improvised Explosives,' 'Explosive Dusts,' 'Incendiaries,' 'The Box Tube MAC-11: The Ultimate DIY Machine Pistol,' 'Ragnar's Big Book of Homemade Weapons,' and 'The Advanced Anarchist's Arsenal: Recipes for Improvised Incendiaries and Explosives.'
The witness also told the FBI that Pezzola and his group 'would have killed Mike Pence if given the chance.'
According to a criminal complaint, Pezzola bragged about breaking windows and was quoted as saying: 'Victory smoke in the Capitol, boys. This is f**king awesome. I knew we could take this motherf**ker over [if we] just tried hard enough.'
US Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather said it was a 'close call' in deciding whether Pezzola should be detained, but ultimately determined he posed a danger to the community.
She earlier agreed to allow another alleged Proud Boy facing criminal charges, Nicholas DeCarlo, to be released pending trial. Meriweather ordered him not to make posts on social media.
Dozens of those arrested are alleged to have ties to or share sympathies with far-right groups or militias.
In addition to a focus on the Proud Boys, the government has charged several alleged members of the Oath Keepers, an anti-government militia, with conspiring to storm the Capitol.
One of those defendants, Thomas Caldwell, in a court filing this week denied being a member of the Oath Keepers and said physical ailments would have prevented him from forcibly storming the Capitol.
More than 200 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violent insurrection in Washington DC.
EDITOR'S NOTE: QAnon Shaman Jacob Anthony Chansley now also claims he was misled by Trump into storming the Capitol.
According to Law & Crime, his lawyer says, "He regrets very, very much having not just been duped by the president, but by being in a position where he allowed that duping to put him in a position to make decisions he should not have made,"
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